Communication system, method and computer program product for transferring an electronic file

ABSTRACT

A system for providing products to a customer operates with an open purchase order having an acceptable inventory range bounded by a lower and an upper limit for each product supplied to the customer. The system includes a storage unit, a first processing unit that maintains a product inventory count, and a second processing unit that monitors the product inventory count. A system for transferring electronic files includes a first processing unit that stores and transfers the electronic file, generates a pointer associated with the transferred electronic file, generates a reference electronic file and thereafter includes the pointer in the reference electronic file. A second processing unit then displays the reference electronic file. A system for generating composite electronic files includes a first processing unit having composite locations including component electronic files, and generating the composite electronic files when the respective composite location is accessed from a second processing unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/826,103, filed Jun. 29, 2010, entitled APPARATUS, METHOD AND COMPUTERPROGRAM PRODUCT FOR TRANSFERRING AN ELECTRONIC FILE, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/882,834,entitled: MIN/MAX INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHOD ANDCOMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT filed on Jun. 15, 2001; and claims priorityfrom U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/267,562, entitled:MIN/MAX INVENTORY CONTROL filed on Feb. 8, 2001, the contents each ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their respectiveentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to inventory control systems and methodsand, more particularly, to lean inventory control systems and methodsemploying a minimum and a maximum inventory level.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Everyday, businesses in product industries deal with inventory,generally consisting all of the goods and materials held by a businessfor future sale, use or other type of transfer. Typically, thesebusinesses must engage in some type of inventory control to manage andmaintain the proper amount of each good in stock or to provide therequired service level of a product at a minimum cost. In one type oftraditional inventory control system, a push system, an order for goodsis issued for fulfillment in specified quantities, by specified duedates, based on estimated lead-times. In another type of traditionalinventory control system, a pull (consumption based) system, an order isplaced with the supplier when the on-hand inventory balance reaches aspecified level.

These traditional methodologies of inventory procurement and managementare generally transaction intensive, requiring many manual processes inorder to keep customers supplied with the stock they need for futuresale, use, or other type of transfer. Changes originating fromengineering, define, and manufacturing result in a mismatch between thescheduled date and quantity, and the actual needed date and quantity.Due to changes in scheduling, engineering, and line stoppages, amismatch often exists between the scheduled due date and/or thequantity, and the actual need date and quantity.

Administrative transactions, such as those entailing Change Ordersand/or new Purchase Orders, adjust existing orders to account for thesemismatches. New Purchase Orders may also be created to realign the needsof the customer with the inventory received from the supplier. Whilethese administrative transactions seek to help control inventory andsatisfy customer demand, the transactions themselves are expensive andwasteful in terms of resources. As an overhead cost, these transactionsadd no value to the end products of the customer.

In order to keep from running out of stock of a needed good and missingthe delivery of a product incorporating the good to the customer as aresult, it is common for suppliers to build excess inventory into theirinventory control system to serve as a buffer to protect the supplierfrom being unable to deliver the required products. Additionally, thecustomer simultaneously orders and stores extra inventory to buffer thesuppliers inability to consistently deliver the required products. Thisexcess inventory is an economic liability for a number of reasons.First, excess inventory is costly for both the supplier and customer, asit ties up valuable, limited resources, such as space, materials, money,capacity, etc. Second, excess inventory exposes the manufacturer of theproducts to scrapage and rework in the event of a change in theconfiguration of a good. Third, excess inventory can pose a safety riskin terms of blocking aisles in storage areas or warehouses, as well asslowing down work flow, and reducing the efficiency at which theproducts can be produced and supplied.

Lean inventory systems, developed from lean manufacturing principles,can help address some of the problems associated with excess inventoryand the waste created thereby. In lean inventory management systems, theemphasis is on real customer demand, which pulls products through thesystem, as they are needed. As such, lean inventory systems are a typeof pull system. In traditional lean inventory systems, the time requiredto produce a particular good is matched as closely as possible with therate of customer demand, thus, reducing excess inventory. Generally, therate of customer demand is based upon projections, such as usage from aprevious measured time period. But because the rate of customer demandcan be more dynamic than a given projection, it is difficult, if notimpossible, to always match production delivery dates and quantitieswith actual customer demand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the foregoing background, the present invention provides animproved lean inventory control system, method, and computer programproduct that employ a minimum and a maximum inventory level (min/maxinventory) and a customer located warehouse. The system allows thesupplier to monitor the customer's inventory levels and deliver neededproducts based on the customer consumption. By monitoring the inventoryof the customer as the inventory changes, the supplier can bettereliminate both the supplier and customer's wasteful excess inventory,and better match product supply with customer demand. Also, by providingadditional products to the customer, based upon monitored inventorylevels instead of schedule or separate Purchase Orders from thecustomer, expensive and wasteful administrative transactions arereduced. Additionally, the min/max inventory system allows the supplierto provide products to the customer from a warehouse as the customer'sinventory level changes. Providing products to the customer from awarehouse near the customer's location reduces wasteful transportationtime to better match product delivery with customer demand.

To facilitate communication between the supplier and the customer, thepresent invention also provides a system, method and computer programproduct for transferring at least one electronic file from a firstlocation. The system for transferring electronic files improves thetransfer of electronic files by providing a displayable referenceelectronic file including a pointer to the transferred electronic files.The displayable reference electronic file allows users to verify thelocation of a transferred file and, thereby access the transferredelectronic file. Additionally, the reference electronic file can provideusers with information relative to the date and/or time the electronicfiles were transferred. To facilitate the creation of compositeelectronic files which can further improve communication between thesupplier and the customer, the present invention also provides a system,method and computer program product for generating composite electronicfiles, including pointers to one or more component electronic files. Thesystem for creating composite electronic files allows originators ofcomponent electronic files to have their electronic files formatted andcompiled into the composite electronic file without special training,and allows the composite electronic file to be updated each time it isaccessed.

The min/max inventory system of the present invention typically operatesin conjunction with a supplier/customer relationship whereby thesupplier provides at least one product to the customer, who is oftenremote from the supplier. According to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the supplier and the customer have an open purchase ordercontract or agreement that includes a quantity of each product thesupplier is to provide to the customer. The open purchase order contractor agreement also includes an acceptable inventory range bounded by aminimum and maximum amount for each product that the supplier providesto the customer that in order to defines delivery needs of the productsto the customer. The system includes a processing unit disposed near thecustomer for storing a product inventory count associated with aninitial amount of the products as the customer receives the initialamount. The customer's processing unit also maintains the productinventory count for each product representative of the amount of theproduct that is maintained in inventory. For example, the customer'sprocessing unit can store the product inventory count in an electronicfile, such as in a hypertext markup language (HTML) format or anextensible markup language (XML) format. The product inventory count ismaintained by the customer's processing unit by decreasing the productinventory count as the customer sells, uses, transfers or otherwiseships out each product, and by increasing the product inventory count asthe customer receives additional amounts of each product.

The system also includes a storage unit disposed remote from thesupplier and proximate to the customer for storing a supply amount ofthe products provided to the customer. The products provided to thecustomer are drawn from the supply amount and, in one embodiment, thesupply amount is bounded by the minimum and maximum amounts of theacceptable inventory range. Additionally, the system includes aprocessing unit disposed near the supplier for monitoring the productinventory count. For example, in embodiments where the customer'sprocessing unit stores the product inventory count in an electronicfile, the customer's processing unit may additionally be capable oftransferring the electronic file to the supplier's processing unit, suchas over the World Wide Web. The supplier's processing unit monitor's theproduct inventory count so that the supplier and/or the supplier'sprocessing unit can detect product inventory counts that approach therespective lower limit, as evidenced by product inventory counts fallingbelow a notification level between the upper and lower limits. When thesupplier and/or supplier's processing unit detects that a productinventory count for a particular product is approaching the lower limit,supplier's processing unit can automatically send a shipment request tothe supplier so that the supplier can provide the customer with anadditional amount of the respective product. Because of the openpurchase order, the supplier can provide the additional amount without anew purchase order associated with the additional amount, as long as theproduct inventory count is within the acceptable inventory range afterthe customer receives the additional amount. In one embodiment, theminimum amount is one below the maximum amount so that the supplier canprovide the additional amount equal to the decrease in the productinventory count as the product inventory count decreases. Therefore, aconstant product inventory count can be maintained by the supplier.Also, in this embodiment, the customer has at least one point-of-uselocation capable of receiving and shipping out each product. In thismanner, the supplier can better match the delivery of the additionalproducts with the customer demand by providing the products to thecustomer at the respective point-of-use location for the products. Thissimplifies receipt of the product and reduces the number of stepsrequired for shipment of the required products.

In another embodiment, each product provided to the customer includes anelectronic identifier for tracking the product. In this embodiment, thecustomer's processing unit can read each electronic identifier as thecustomer ships out the respective product and immediately thereafterdecrease the product inventory count by the number of products shippedout as identified by the electronic identifiers. Additionally, thecustomer's processing unit can read each electronic identifier as thecustomer receives the respective product and immediately thereafterincrease the product inventory count by the number of products receivedas identified by the electronic identifiers.

To facilitate communication between the supplier and the customer, thepresent invention also provides a system, method and computer programproduct for transferring at least one electronic file from a firstlocation. The system includes a first processing unit, typicallydisposed at the customer location or otherwise under the control of thecustomer, on which the electronic files are stored. The first processingunit is capable of transferring the electronic files, such as by filetransfer protocol (FTP), to a remote location, typically disposed at thesupplier location or otherwise under the control of the supplier. Afterthe first processing unit transfers the electronic files, the firstprocessing unit generates at least one pointer, such as a hypertextlink, associated with the transferred electronic files and the remotelocation. The first processing unit then generates a referenceelectronic file and thereafter includes the pointers in the referenceelectronic file. Additionally, in one embodiment the referenceelectronic file includes a date and/or time stamp identifying the dateand/or time the electronic files were transferred from the firstprocessing unit. The reference electronic file is capable of beingdisplayed, such as an HTML or XML formatted electronic file. The systemalso includes a second processing unit disposed remote from the firstprocessing unit, such as at the supplier location. Typically, the remoteprocessing unit and the second processing unit are electricallyconnected, such as over a local area network (LAN). The secondprocessing unit is capable displaying the reference electronic file,including the pointers, so that a user located proximate the secondprocessing unit is capable of locating the electronic files at theremote location based upon the pointers. For example, by includingpointers for the electronic files on a reference electronic file, thesupplier can locate the electronic files, previously transferred fromthe customer, on a supplier accessible computer without additionalnotification from the customer as to the transfer. In one embodiment,the second processing unit displays the reference electronic file,including the pointers, for a predefined period of time. By displayingthe reference electronic file, including the pointers, for a predefinedperiod of time, the reference electronic file can be updated withremoved or different pointers to take into account any change in filelocation, as well as any subsequent electronic file transfers to thesecond processing unit.

To further facilitate communication between the supplier and thecustomer, the present invention also provides a system, method andcomputer program product for generating at least one compositeelectronic file, such as an HTML or XML formatted electronic file. Thesystem includes a first processing unit having at least one compositelocation capable of storing at least one component electronic file. Thefirst processing unit may additionally be capable of receiving thecomponent electronic files into the respective composite locations. Inone embodiment, the system further includes a remote processing unit,such as a computer connected to the first processing unit over a LAN,having at least one composite location capable of storing, and possiblyreceiving, the component electronic files. In another embodiment, thefirst processing unit also includes a master electronic file, such as anHTML or XML formatted electronic file, having a composite pointer, suchas a hypertext link, associated with each composite location so thateach composite location is accessible via the respective compositepointer.

The first processing unit is capable of generating the compositeelectronic files when the respective composite locations are accessedfrom a second processing unit. The composite electronic files include atleast one component pointer, such as a hypertext link, associated withthe component electronic files in the respective composite locations.The composite electronic files are capable of being displayed through aninterface, such as a graphical user interface (GUI), so that theinformation within component electronic files are accessible via theinterface, based upon the component pointers. When a componentelectronic file is removed from the respective composite location, thefirst processing unit generates the respective composite electronic filewithout the component pointer associated with the respective componentelectronic file. Automatically generating the composite electronic filesas the composite locations are accessed allows users at the customerlocation, for example, who may comprise users from multiple sectorswithin the customer's business, to create, delete and otherwise modifyelectronic files pertaining to their particular sector for display bythe supplier.

The present invention therefore provides an improved lean inventorycontrol system that employs minimum and maximum inventory levels and acustomer located warehouse or point-of-use (POU) inventory. The min/maxinventory system allows the supplier to monitor the inventory and toprovide additional products to the customer as the customer's inventorychanges. Monitoring the inventory of the customer as the inventorychanges reduces wasteful excess inventory, and facilitates a bettermatch between the production of products and customer demand for theproducts. Providing additional products to the customer, based uponmonitored inventory levels instead of based upon a schedule or separatepurchase orders from the customer, reduces expensive and wastefuladministrative transactions. Also, the min/max inventory system of thepresent invention allows the supplier to provide products to thecustomer from a warehouse at or near the customer's location as thecustomer's inventory level changes, which reduces wastefultransportation time to better match product delivery with customerdemand.

The present invention also provides a system, method and computerprogram product for transferring at least one electronic file from afirst location. The system provides a displayable reference electronicfile including a pointer to the transferred electronic files that allowsusers to verify the location of a transferred file and, thereby, accessthe transferred electronic file. The present invention further includesa system for creating composite electronic files that allows originatorsof component electronic files to have their electronic files formattedand compiled into the composite electronic file without specialtraining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system for providing at least oneproduct from a supplier to a customer according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the operations performed to manage aninventory of at least one product of a supplier that is provided to acustomer according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate some of the operations for transferring at leastone electronic file from a first location according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the operations for transferring theelectronic file from the first location according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the reference electronic file includingan electronic file transferred according to one embodiment of the methodfor transferring the electronic file;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a file structure for storingcomponent electronic files in accordance with the system for generatingat least one composite electronic file according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrates some of the various electronic files used in oneembodiment of the method for generating the composite electronic file;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a composite electronic file generatedaccording to one embodiment of the method for generating the compositeelectronic file; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the operations for generating the compositeelectronic file according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for providing at least one product from asupplier 20 to at least one customer 30 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The supplier provides the products to thecustomer and, in turn, the customer receives and thereafter ships outthe products, such as by selling, using or transferring the products tothird parties. To track the customer's inventory of products provided bythe supplier, the system includes a first processing unit 32, such as apersonal computer or other high level processor, preferably under thecontrol of the customer. To monitor the customer's inventory of productsprovided by the supplier, the system also includes a second processingunit 22, such as a personal computer or other high level processor,preferably under the control of the supplier and disposed remote fromthe first processing unit. Additionally, to reduce transportation timeand facilitate matching delivery of the products with customer demand,the system preferably includes a storage unit 40, such as a warehouseunder the supplier's control, for storing a supply amount of theproducts that are thereafter provided to the customer. In a preferredembodiment, the supplier is remote from the customer and the storageunit, and the storage unit is proximate the customer. As such, the timerequired to deliver products from the storage unit to the customer isthereby decreased relative to deliveries from the supplier's location.

As shown in FIG. 2, the supplier and each customer have an open purchaseorder for the products provided to the customer by the supplier (block100). The open purchase order is typically a contract including anynumber of different contract terms as agreed to by the supplier and thecustomer. But instead of providing multiple purchase orders for aspecific quantity of each product and a schedule of delivery date ordates, an open purchase order is created that includes a total quantityof products the supplier is to provide to the customer for a contractedperiod of time. Additionally, the open purchase order includes anacceptable inventory range bounded by a lower (i.e., minimum) and anupper (i.e., maximum) limit for each product, which governs deliveredquantities of the product provided to the customer. Typically, theacceptable inventory range is agreed upon and shared between thesupplier and customer. The minimum quantity typically represents anamount of inventory required to cover the supplier in areas such as, forexample, replenishment lead time, yield factor, packaging requirementsand lot sizing requirements. And the maximum quantity typicallyrepresents an amount of inventory taking into account the customer'sneeds in areas such as, for example, consumption, forecast accuracy,yield factor, lot-sizing requirements and inventory turn raterequirements. Delivery times can be specified in a number of mannerssuch as, for example, a specified number of days after the inventory isdecreased by a predetermined amount.

After the terms of the open purchase order have been completed, in oneembodiment, the supplier 20 stores a supply amount 50 of each productsupplied to the customer 30 in the storage unit 40 (block 101). Whilethe supply amount can be any amount above the lower limit specified inthe open purchase order, in a preferred embodiment the supply amount isbounded by the lower and upper limits of the open purchase order.

The supplier then initiates a method of managing the inventory of thecustomer by providing the customer with an initial amount of eachproduct (block 102). As the customer receives the products 80, the firstprocessing unit 32 stores a product inventory count representative ofthe initial amount of each product received by the customer. Whereas theproduct inventory count can be stored in any number of differentmanners, the product inventory count is preferably stored in anelectronic file, such as in a hypertext markup language (HTML) format oran extensible markup language (XML) format. The description herein ofthe systems and methods of providing the products to the customer andmanaging the inventory of the customer are premised on the customer notalready having an inventory of the products when the supplier providesthe initial amount. It should be understood, however, that the customercan already have an amount of the products in inventory when thesupplier provides the initial amount of the products. In such aninstance, the product inventory count would be representative of the sumtotal of the initial amount of each product received by the customer andthe amount of the respective product in the customer's inventory whenthe customer receives the initial amount.

In one embodiment, each product can include an electronic identifier,such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (not shown). Theelectronic identifier can be located in any of a number of differentlocations relative to the respective product, such as on the productitself or on the product's packaging. In this embodiment, the firstprocessing unit 32 reads each electronic identifier as the customer 30receives the respective product 80 from the storage unit 40. As thefirst processing unit reads the electronic identifiers, the firstprocessing unit increases the product inventory count by the number ofproducts received as identified by the electronic identifiers. After thecustomer 30 receives the initial amount of each product, the firstprocessing unit maintains the product inventory count (block 104). Asthe customer ships out each product 70, the first processing unit 32decreases the product inventory count by the number of products shippedout (blocks 106 and 108). And as the customer receives additionalquantities of each product 80, just as with the initial amount ofproducts, the first processing unit increases the product inventorycount by the number of products received (blocks 110 and 112). Inembodiments including the electronic identifiers, the first processingunit reads each electronic identifier as the customer ships out therespective product and immediately thereafter decreases the productinventory count by the number of products shipped out as identified bythe electronic identifiers. When the customer receives the respectiveproduct from the storage unit, the first processing unit reads eachelectronic identifier and immediately thereafter increases the productinventory count by the number of products received as identified by theelectronic identifiers.

As the first processing unit 32 maintains the product inventory count,the second processing unit 22 and/or the supplier 20 monitors theproduct inventory count at a location remote from the customer. Thesecond processing unit is typically disposed at a supplier location oris otherwise controller by the supplier. To monitor the productinventory count, in embodiments wherein the first processing unit storesthe product inventory count in an electronic file, for example, thefirst processing unit can transmit the electronic file to the secondprocessing unit, such as via the World Wide Web. In this manner, thesecond processing unit and/or the supplier can monitor the productinventory count, electronically or through a display of the electronicfile, as the product inventory count changes. When the product inventorycount falls below a notification level, the second processing unitand/or the supplier can detect the inventory of the customer 30 asapproaching the lower limit of acceptable inventory (block 114). Thenotification level, which is between the upper and lower limits, acts asa buffer to insure that additional products are provided to the customerbefore the product inventory count falls below the lower limit. In thisregard, the notification level can be based on any of a number ofdifferent factors, such as the rate at which the customer typicallyships out the products and the time required to transport the productsto the customer.

When the second processing unit 22 and/or the supplier 20 detect aproduct inventory count approaching the lower limit of acceptable ofinventory, the second processing unit can send a shipment request to thesupplier so that the supplier can provide the customer 30 with anadditional amount of the respective product to keep the customer'sinventory within the acceptable inventory range (block 116). As thecustomer receives the additional products, the first processing unit 32continues to maintain the product inventory count by increasing theproduct inventory count accordingly. Because the additional products areprovided pursuant to the open purchase order and the customer's currentinventory level, the supplier can provide the additional productswithout a separate purchase order from the customer. In this manner, theexpensive and wasteful administrative transactions of conventionalinventory control systems are reduced.

In one embodiment, to maximize the reduction of wasteful supplierinventory, the lower limit of the acceptable inventory range is onebelow the upper limit. In this embodiment, the supplier 20 provides theproducts to the customer 30 at a predefined frequency that is sensitiveto the consumption of the product, such as providing products daily tothe customer based on daily consumption of the products. In this regard,the receiving of additional products more closely matches customerdemand. In this manner, as the customer ships out a product 70, thefirst processing unit 32 decreases the product inventory count. Thesecond processing unit 22 and/or the supplier detect the decrease in theproduct inventory count, and thereafter the supplier provides thecustomer with the additional amount of the product to increase theproduct inventory count by the amount of the product previously shippedout. Providing the customer with the additional amount as the productinventory level decreases allows the supplier to provide the customerwith products with a stable and regular demand schedule while loweringthe supplier's inventory. In operation, for example, assume the lowerlimit is one below the upper limit for a given product, assume thecurrent inventory level for the product is two, and assume the customerships out two units of the product on a given day. The following day (orother delivery time as provided for in the open purchase order), thesupplier provides the customer with two units of the product to bringthe product inventory count back up to two, which is greater than thelower limit, and equal to the upper limit.

In this embodiment, to further match receiving the products withcustomer 30 demand, the customer has at least one point-of-use locationwhere the customer uses the products (not shown). As the customer shipsout each product from its respective point-of-use location, the supplier20 provides the additional products to the customer at the respectivepoint of use location, as opposed to a single designated receivinglocation. This reduces the wasteful delivery time as the customer is notrequired to ship the products from the customer-designated receivinglocation to the respective point-of-use location for the product.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3C and 4, to facilitate communication betweenthe supplier 20 and the customer 30, the present invention also providesa system, method and computer program product for transferring at leastone electronic file 126 from a first location 124, such as from a memorydevice at the customer location or otherwise under the control of thecustomer. According to one embodiment, the system includes a firstprocessing unit 120, such as a personal computer or other high levelprocessor, including a memory device having the first location 124 forstoring the electronic file to be transferred. The system also includesa remote processing unit 122, such as a personal computer or other highlevel processor, disposed remote from the first processing unit, such asat a supplier location or otherwise under the control of the supplier,and including a memory device having a remote location 128 for receivingthe electronic file. The remote location may require a user to have andsupply particular credentials to access the location and any includedelectronic files, or the memory device may include multiple remotelocations one or more of which may require such access credentials. Inoperation, the electronic file to be transferred is selected (block150). Then, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the first processing unittransfers the electronic file to the remote location in the remoteprocessing unit (block 152). The first processing unit can transfer theelectronic file by any method known to those skilled in the art, but inone embodiment the first processing unit transfers the electronic filevia a protocol, such as a file transfer protocol (FTP), a hyper texttransfer protocol (HTML), or a secured HTML (HTTPS). It should also beunderstood that the transfer may be by an upload or push from the firstprocessing unit to the remote location, or may be by a download or pullfrom the remote processing unit to the remote location.

After the first processing unit 120 transfers the electronic file 126,the first processing unit generates a pointer 127, such as a hypertextlink, associated with the electronic file and the remote location 128(block 154). As shown in FIG. 3B, if the first processing unit does notalready have a reference electronic file 132, the first processing unitnext generates the reference electronic file, such as an HTML, XML,active server pages (ASP) or ASP.NET formatted file (blocks 156 and158). The first processing unit includes the pointer in the referenceelectronic file and may additionally include other information 129, suchas information relative to the contents of the electronic file.Additionally, the reference electronic file may include a date and/ortime stamp for each transferred electronic file that identifies the dateand/or time the electronic file was transferred.

The pointer 127 may be identified in the reference electronic file 132in any of a number of different manners, including textual and/orgraphic manners. For example, the pointer may be identified by the nameof its associated electronic file 126. Alternatively, for example, thepointer may be identified by one or more pieces of textual informationassociated with the associated electronic file, such as informationstored in a properties dialog of the file, in metadata stored with thefile, or the like. Regardless of any textual identifier that the pointermay have, however, the pointer may additionally or alternatively includea graphical identifier, such as an icon. In such instances, the icon maybe selected in a number of different manners, such as based on afilename extension of the associated electronic file.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B, after the pointer 127 has been included inthe reference electronic file 132, the reference electronic file can becopied by, transferred to or otherwise accessed by, and displayed by adisplay 136 associated with a second processing unit 134 (block 162).For example, the reference electronic file can be downloaded via FTPfrom the World Wide Web from the first processing unit 120 to the secondprocessing unit and thereafter displayed by the second processing unit.Using the pointer on the display of the reference electronic file, auser of the second processing unit can locate and/or access thetransferred electronic file 126 from the remote location 128, as shownin FIG. 3C (block 162). Like the remote processing unit, the secondprocessing unit is also typically located at the supplier location orotherwise under the control of the supplier. For example, the remoteprocessing unit and the second processing unit can be connected, such asover a LAN. Whereas the remote processing unit and second processingunit are illustrated as separate components, it should be understoodthat the second processing unit can be the remote processing unit,including the remote location. In such an embodiment, a user of theremote processing unit could view a display of the reference electronicfile and, based upon the pointer, access the transferred electronic filestored in the remote location. Whereas, the system, method and computerprogram product of transferring the electronic files facilitatescommunication between the supplier and the customer, it should beunderstood that the system, method and computer program product can beemployed in other contexts as well, without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

In various instances, the first and/or remote processing units 120, 122may be configured to maintain one or more predefined electronic files atthe remote location 128, and at various instances when one of thepredefined electronic files is not found at the remote location, may beconfigured to push or pull the respective electronic file to the remotelocation. Additionally or alternatively, the first and/or remoteprocessing units may be configured to maintain the predefined electronicfiles at the remote location up-to-date. In such instances, the firstand/or remote processing units may be configured to check the predefinedelectronic files at the remote location periodically or on-demand todetermine if any of the respective electronic files have been stored atthe remote location for more than a predefined period of time. And whenan electronic file has been stored at the remote location for more thanthe predefined period of time, the first and/or remote processing unitsmay be configured to push or pull another (presumably more up-to-date)copy of the respective electronic file to the remote location to replacethe copy already at the remote location.

Because a user of the first processing unit 120 may want the contents129 of the reference electronic file 132 to be accessible for a longertime period than the transferred electronic file 126, the firstprocessing unit may only include the pointer 127 in the referenceelectronic file for a predefined period of time (the same as ordifferent from a predefined period of time for the electronic files).After the predefined period of time has expired, the first processingunit may purge the reference electronic file of the pointer to therebyupdate the reference electronic file (blocks 166 and 168). Removing thepointer allows the reference electronic file to be updated with pointersremoved and/or added to take into account transferred electronic filesno longer located in the remote location into which they weretransferred, and to take into account subsequent electronic filestransferred to the same or different remote locations.

The reference electronic file 132 may be a file (e.g., HTML, XMLformatted file) generated to include pointer(s) 127 and any otherinformation 129 that may be removed from and/or added to the electronicfile at various instances to keep the file up-to-date. Alternatively,the reference electronic file may be a dynamically-generated file (e.g.,ASP, ASP.NET formatted file) generated and regenerated at variousinstances to include current pointer(s) and any other information,thereby keeping the file up-to-date.

When the reference electronic file 132 is a dynamically-generated file,the instances in which the file is regenerated may be predefined in anumber of different manners, and the pointer(s) 127 and otherinformation 129 included in the file in each instance may be selected inany of a number of different manners. For example, the referenceelectronic file may be regenerated periodically or on-demand, such as atone or more instances in which the user of the second processing unit134 accesses the reference electronic file. In this regard, thereference electronic file may be generated to include pointer(s) forelectronic file(s) 126 currently at the remote location 128 at the time.Additionally or alternatively, in instances in which predefinedelectronic file(s) are to be maintained at the remote location, theelectronic file(s) currently at the remote location may be compared tothe predefined electronic file(s). By this comparison, any of thepredefined electronic files missing from the remote location, and/or anyof present predefined electronic files that have been at the remotelocation for more than a predefined period of time, may be identified.These electronic files or other copies of these electronic files maythen be pushed or pulled to the remote location before pointers forfiles at the remote location are generated, and the reference electronicfile is generated.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the reference electronic file includingan electronic file transferred according to one embodiment of the methodfor transferring the electronic file. Transferring the electronic filefrom the first processing unit, such as at the customer location, to thesecond location, such as the supplier location, allows the suppler toreceive electronic files from the customer to thereafter locate andaccess without additional notification from the customer. Referring toFIG. 5, the customer can select electronic files, such as inventoryreports, using a file select interface 212 and transfer the electronicfiles to the supplier location. After the customer has transferred theelectronic files, a hypertext link, and possibly a date/time stamp 213,can then be generated for the transferred electronic files 214 on areference page 210, such as a supplier information page that mayadditionally include hypertext links to additional miscellaneousinformation 216. In this manner, any person with access to the referencepage can locate and access the transferred electronic files withoutadditional notification as to the transfer, such as an email notifyingthe supplier of the transferred electronic file or its location. Aspreviously stated, the system, method and computer program product oftransferring the electronic files facilitates communication between thesupplier and the customer. But it should be understood that the system,method and computer program product can be employed in other contexts aswell, without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

To further facilitate communication between the supplier 20 and thecustomer 30, the present invention provides a system, method andcomputer program product for creating at least one composite electronicfile. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7A-7C, one embodiment of the systemincludes a first processing unit 172, such as a personal computer orother high level processor, comprising a memory device having at leastone composite location 176. The first processing unit is capable ofstoring at least one component electronic file 178, such as HTML or XMLformatted electronic files, into the at least one composite location.The first processing may also be capable of receiving the componentelectronic files and thereafter storing the received componentelectronic files in the respective composite locations. In oneembodiment, the system also includes a remote processing unit (notshown), such as a personal computer or other high level processor,comprising a memory device having at least one composite location. Forexample, the remote processing unit can be a personal computer incommunication with the first processing unit over a local area network.Like the first processing unit, the remote processing unit is capable ofstoring the at least one component electronic file, and can be capableof receiving the component electronic files and thereafter storing thereceived component electronic files on the composite locations.

The system also includes a second processing unit 184 capable ofaccessing the composite locations 176 and the component electronic files178 stored therein. In one embodiment, the first processing unit 172includes a master electronic file 174, such as an HTML or XML formattedelectronic file, within the first processing unit. The master electronicfile includes at least one composite pointer 182, such as a hypertextlink, associated with the at least one composite location. In thisembodiment, a user of the second processing unit can access thecomposite locations via the at least one composite pointer since thesecond processing unit has access to the master electronic file.

FIG. 8 is an example composite electronic file generated from thecustomer location according to one embodiment of the method forgenerating the composite electronic file. Automatically generating eachcomposite electronic file 218 as the composite locations are accessedallows users at the customer location who may comprise users frommultiple sectors within the customer's operation, to create, delete andotherwise modify electronic files pertaining to their particular sectorfor display by the supplier. In this regard, the component pointers 222allow the component electronic files to be accessed from one compositeelectronic file as opposed to requiring the location of each componentelectronic file to be known. The customer can additionally have a masterelectronic file, such as a supplier information electronic file, thatthe supplier can access to access constantly updated compositeelectronic files and, in turn, component electronic files, such asinformation relative to the supplier and/or different areas of thecustomer's business, such as different product lines, differentmanufacturing areas or different point-of-use locations. In this regard,each composite electronic file can additionally include a master pointer220, such as a hypertext link, to the master electronic file. Whereas,the system, method and computer program product for creating thecomposite electronic files further facilitates communication between thesupplier and the customer, it should be understood that the system,method and computer program product can be employed in other contexts aswell, without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 9, in operation, the composite locations 176 in thefirst processing unit 172, and possibly the remote processing unit, aredesignated (block 192). In embodiments including a master electronicfile 174, the master electronic file is created by the first processingunit, and includes the composite pointers 182, as shown in FIG. 7A. Forexample, a server computer located at the customer location or otherwiseunder the control of the customer, can include the master electronicfile, such as a supplier web page, with pointers, such as hypertextlinks, to the component locations, such as memory locations on theserver computer or on the remote processing unit, such as a computerconnected to the server computer over a LAN. The component electronicfiles 178 are then copied into and/or removed from respective compositelocations (blocks 198 and 200). Then, from the second processing unit184, the composite locations are accessed, such as via the compositepointers in the master electronic file to which the second processingunit has access (block 202).

When the second processing unit 184, such as a personal computer locatedat the supplier location or otherwise under the control of the supplier,accesses the composite locations 176, the first processing unit 172automatically generates the respective composite electronic file 180,such as in HTML or XML format, as shown in FIG. 7B (block 204). Thecomposite electronic file includes at least one component pointer 186,such as a hypertext link, associated with the at least one componentelectronic file 178 stored in the respective composite location. If oneor more of the component electronic files are subsequently removed fromthe respective composite location, when the second processing unitthereafter accesses the respective composite location, the firstprocessing unit will generate the composite electronic file without therespective component pointers associated with the removed componentelectronic file or files. After the composite electronic file isgenerated, the composite electronic file is displayed on a graphicaluser interface (GUI), such as a display associated with the secondprocessing unit (block 205). In this manner, the user can locate andaccess the respective component electronic files via the componentpointers (block 206). As previously stated, the system, method andcomputer program product for creating the composite electronic filesfurther facilitates communication between the supplier and the customer.It should be understood that the system, method and computer programproduct can be employed in other contexts as well, without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides a lean inventory control system thatemploys min/max inventory levels and a customer located warehouse, andincludes associated methods for transferring at least one electronicfile and for generating at least one composite electronic file. Thepresent invention allows the supplier to monitor the inventory to andprovide additional products to the customer as the customer's inventorychanges. Also, the min/max inventory system of the present inventionallows the supplier to provide products to the customer from a warehousenear the customer's location as the customer's inventory level changes,which reduces wasteful transportation time to better match productdelivery with customer demand.

The present invention also provides a system, method and computerprogram product for transferring at least one electronic file from afirst location. The system allows users to verify the location of atransferred file and, thereby, access the transferred electronic file.The present invention further includes a system, method and computerprogram product for creating composite electronic files to alloworiginators of component electronic files to have their electronic filesformatted and compiled into the composite electronic file withoutspecial training. These additional systems, methods and computer programproducts not only facilitate communication in the supplier/customercontext, as described above, but can also be employed in othersituations, if so desired.

In various advantageous embodiments, portions of the system and methodof the present invention include a computer program product. Thecomputer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium,such as the non-volatile storage medium, and computer-readable programcode portions, such as a series of computer instructions, embodied inthe computer-readable storage medium. Typically, the computer program isstored and executed by a processing unit or a related memory device,such as the first processing unit 120 as depicted in FIG. 3A or thefirst processing unit 172 as depicted in FIG. 6.

In this regard, FIGS. 1-9 are block diagram, flowchart and control flowillustrations of methods, systems and program products according to theinvention. It will be understood that each block or step of the blockdiagram, flowchart and control flow illustrations, and combinations ofblocks in the block diagram, flowchart and control flow illustrations,can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computerprogram instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions which executeon the computer or other programmable apparatus create means forimplementing the functions specified in the block diagram, flowchart orcontrol flow block(s) or step(s). These computer program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct acomputer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function specified in the block diagram, flowchartor control flow block(s) or step(s). The computer program instructionsmay also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus tocause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer orother programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented processsuch that the instructions which execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functionsspecified in the block diagram, flowchart or control flow block(s) orstep(s).

Accordingly, blocks or steps of the block diagram, flowchart or controlflow illustrations support combinations of means for performing thespecified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specifiedfunctions and program instruction means for performing the specifiedfunctions. It will also be understood that each block or step of theblock diagram, flowchart or control flow illustrations, and combinationsof blocks or steps in the block diagram, flowchart or control flowillustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedcomputer systems which perform the specified functions or steps, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed andthat modifications and other embodiments are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms areemployed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense onlyand not for purposes of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communications system for transferring at leastone electronic file from a first location, the communications systemcomprising: a memory device configured to store the at least oneelectronic file in the first location; a processor in communication withthe memory device and configured to select or receive selection of theat least one electronic file, wherein the processor is configured totransfer the at least one electronic file that was selected or for whichthe selection was received from the first location to a second memorylocation maintained by a different memory device that is remote from theprocessor and the memory device that includes the first location,wherein the processor is configured to generate at least one pointer,the at least one pointer identifying the at least one electronic fileand also identifying the second memory location to which the at leastone electronic file was transferred, wherein the processor is configuredto include the at least one pointer in a displayable referenceelectronic file by including the at least one pointer for a predefinedperiod of time and removing the at least one pointer from the referenceelectronic file following the predefined period of time while continuingto provide for access to the reference electronic file including theother contents of the reference electronic file following the predefinedperiod of time, and wherein the processor is configured to transfer thereference electronic file including the at least one pointer to adisplay location for display of the reference electronic file at thedisplay location, the reference electronic file being displayed toenable a user located at the display location to locate the at least oneelectronic file at the second memory location based upon the at leastone pointer.
 2. A communications system according to claim 1, whereinthe processor being configured to transfer the at least one electronicfile includes being configured to transfer the at least one electronicfile according to a protocol selected from a group consisting of a filetransfer protocol (FTP), a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP), and asecured HTTP (HTTPS).
 3. A communications system according to claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to generate a displayablereference electronic file before including the at least one pointer inthe reference electronic file, wherein the processor being configured togenerate the reference electronic file includes being configured togenerate the reference electronic file in a hypertext markup languageincluding at least one hypertext link associated with the at least onepointer to enable the user to locate and access the at least oneelectronic file at the second memory location.
 4. A communicationssystem according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configuredto generate a displayable reference electronic file before including theat least one pointer in the reference electronic file, wherein theprocessor being configured to generate the reference electronic fileincludes being configured to generate the reference electronic file inan extensible markup language including at least one interactive linkassociated with the at least one pointer to enable the user to locateand access the at least one electronic file at the second memorylocation.
 5. A communications method for transferring at least oneelectronic file from a first location, the communications methodcomprising: storing the at least one electronic file in a first locationmaintained by a memory device; selecting or receiving selection of theat least one electronic file; transferring the at least one electronicfile that was selected or for which the selection was received from thefirst location to a second location that is maintained by a differentmemory device that is remote from the memory device that includes thefirst location; generating at least one pointer associated with the atleast one electronic file, the at least one pointer identifying the atleast one electronic file and also identifying the second memorylocation to which the at least one electronic file was transferred;including the at least one pointer in a displayable reference electronicfile that also includes other contents, wherein including the at leastone pointer in the reference electronic file comprises including the atleast one pointer for a predefined period of time and removing the atleast one pointer from the reference electronic file following thepredefined period of time while continuing to provide for access to thereference electronic file including the other contents of the referenceelectronic file following the predefined period of time; andtransferring the reference electronic file including the at least onepointer to a display location for display of the reference electronicfile at the display location, the reference electronic file beingdisplayed to enable a user located at the display location to locate theat least one electronic file at the second memory location based uponthe at least one pointer, wherein at least one of generating at leastone pointer or including the at least one pointer in a displayableelectronic reference file is performed by processor configured to atleast one of generate at least one pointer or include the at least onepointer in a displayable electronic reference file.
 6. A communicationsmethod according to claim 5, wherein transferring the at least oneelectronic file comprises transferring the at least one electronic fileaccording to a protocol selected from a group consisting of a filetransfer protocol (FTP), a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP), and asecured HTTP (HTTPS).
 7. A communications method according to claim 5further comprising generating a displayable reference electronic filebefore including the at least one pointer in the reference electronicfile, wherein generating the reference electronic file comprisesgenerating the reference electronic file in a hypertext markup languageincluding at least one hypertext link associated with the at least onepointer to enable the user to locate and access the at least oneelectronic file at the second memory location.
 8. A communicationsmethod according to claim 5 further comprising generating a displayablereference electronic file before including the at least one pointer inthe reference electronic file, wherein generating the referenceelectronic file comprises generating the reference electronic file in anextensible markup language including at least one interactive linkassociated with the at least one pointer to enable the user to locateand access the at least one electronic file at the second memorylocation.
 9. A computer program product for transferring at least oneelectronic file from a first location, the computer program productcomprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-readable program code embodied in said medium, thecomputer-readable program code comprising: an executable portionconfigured to store the at least one electronic file in the firstlocation maintained by a memory device; an executable portion configuredto select or receive selection of the at least one electronic file; anexecutable portion configured to transfer the at least one electronicfile that was selected or for which the selection was received from thefirst location to a second location that is remote from the firstlocation that is maintained by a different memory device that is remotefrom the memory device that includes the first location; an executableportion configured to generate at least one pointer, the at least onepointer identifying the at least one electronic file and alsoidentifying the second memory location to which the at least oneelectronic file was transferred; an executable portion configured toinclude the at least one pointer in a displayable reference electronicfile by including the at least one pointer for a predefined period oftime and removing the at least one pointer from the reference electronicfile following the predefined period of time while continuing to providefor access to the reference electronic file including the other contentsof the reference electronic file following the predefined period oftime; and an executable portion configured to transfer the referenceelectronic file including the at least one pointer to a display locationfor display of the reference electronic file at the display location,the reference electronic file being displayed to enable a user locatedat the display location to locate the at least one electronic file atthe second memory location based upon the at least one pointer.
 10. Acomputer program product according to claim 9, wherein the executableportion being configured to transfer the at least one electronic fileincludes being configured to transfer the at least one electronic fileaccording to a protocol selected from a group consisting of a filetransfer protocol (FTP), a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP), and asecured HTTP (HTTPS).
 11. A computer program product according to claim9, wherein the computer-readable program code further comprises anexecutable portion configured to generate a displayable referenceelectronic file before including the at least one pointer in thereference electronic file, wherein the executable portion beingconfigured to generate the reference electronic file includes beingconfigured to generate the reference electronic file in a hypertextmarkup language including at least one hypertext link associated withthe at least one pointer to enable the user to locate and access the atleast one electronic file at the second memory location.
 12. A computerprogram product according to claim 9, wherein the computer-readableprogram code further comprises an executable portion configured togenerate a displayable reference electronic file before including the atleast one pointer in the reference electronic file, wherein theexecutable portion being configured to generate the reference electronicfile includes being configured to generate the reference electronic filein an extensible markup language including at least one interactive linkassociated with the at least one pointer to enable the user to locateand access the at least one electronic file at the second memorylocation.